


undisclosed desires

by deadheartbeats



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: The First Avenger, Drabble, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:41:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2830298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadheartbeats/pseuds/deadheartbeats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve thinks there's no amount of magic from a test tube that could give him the strength to confess to Bucky Barnes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	undisclosed desires

**Author's Note:**

> takes place before the train scene in the first avenger. crossposted from my livejournal.

Being Captain America, there's a lot of things Steve Rogers can do that he couldn't always do before. The serum amplifies almost everything about him, makes him more of an Adonis and less of the pipsqueak he was born to be, patches up the places in Steve that bandaids won't fix, and corrects so many things that he can't even begin to remember. 

And, despite all this, the one thing the serum can't seem to do is give Steve the courage to confess to his crush. He thinks maybe that he was expecting some sort of confidence boost to come with chiseled muscles and what not, something that would ease his nerves enough to say what he means.

But it doesn't, and Steve thinks there's no amount of magic from a test tube that could give him the strength to confess to Bucky Barnes.

★ ☆

"Wait," Bucky begins incredulously, looking up at Steve with raised brows. The corner of his lips are twitched up in a surprised half smile as he drags his finger over the rim of his glass. "You want me to teach you how to _dance_? You? Steve Rogers? Mister Two Left Feet?"

Steve rolls his eyes and bites back the sarcastic reply balancing on the tip of his tongue. "If you don't want to that's fine. I can always ask Agent Carter," he says, digging his fingernails into the heel of his palm where Bucky can't see. He doesn't know why he's so damn nervous. "She's probably better at dancing than you anyways." 

They're at the bar, the only two left, sitting on stools that are too close, and Bucky's thigh is pressed up against Steve's so he can feel every time the older bounces his foot habitually. Without the music and the din of drunken chatter, the whole place feels eerie. 

Bucky looks up at Steve from around the rim of his cup, eyes still sparkling despite the subtle glassiness to them. His cheeks are a little pinker than usual, and Steve distantly wonders if it's the alcohol or the cold draft. "It's not that I don't want to teach you," he explains after a moment, tone a little more serious than before, "but why now? I've tried to get you to go dancing with me for years." He pauses. "And _no one_ is a better dancer than me, Rogers." 

"Better late than never," Steve says, hoping he sounds nonchalant and that he's just imagining the tremor to his voice. "And tomorrow we're jumping into a moving train. We may as well have a little fun before we risk our lives," he jokes and scratches at the bar's counter top.

Truth is, Steve has no interest in dancing at all. But he figures that if he's going to make his best friend put his life on the line, it couldn't hurt to take an opportunity to feel close to him, just one more time. And yeah, it's selfish, but Steve is selfless every other day of his life. He decides he deserves this, even if he knows it'll end up hurting like hell. 

Bucky is still watching him, lips pursed in thought until he sets his cup back down with a hollow _clink_ before he says, "alright, alright. I'll teach you to dance." He hops off the barstool and wanders over to the record player. "Is there someone you want to dance with? Is that the real reason why you're asking me?" he teases over the sound of soft music. 

_The only person I want to dance with is you._ "Not really," Steve lies as he follows him to where Bucky's pushed away tables to make more room. He rocks on the balls of his feet awkwardly, looking down at Bucky who has his eyes narrowed.

For a minute Steve thinks he can see through him, but if Bucky can call his bluff he doesn't say anything about it. "I'll be the girl," he tells him instead. "Since you're so tall now." he says the last part without any malice, and Steve can't suppress a smile. 

Bucky reaches forward and grabs Steve's wrists, putting one on his waist and twining their fingers together. "You have to lead," he reminds Steve as his fingers scale up to clasp his broad shoulder. "When you take a step forward, I'll take a step- no, don't look at my feet, look at my face, you idiot!" He chides, but he's laughing. The sound makes Steve's heart feel like it's made of lead. "How do you expect to get a dame if you're staring at her feet?" 

"I'm still learning," he replies, gripping Bucky's waist too tightly as he moves from side to side stiffly. "Am I doing this right?" he asks after a moment, wetting his lips. 

"No." Bucky hums before he steps closer until he's pressed almost entirely against Steve. His forehead knocks into his chin, and Steve can smell the cheap soap on him, the same soap everyone uses, but on Bucky it smells nice. "Stare at my face, not my feet. You're leading, so you don't have to worry about stepping on my feet or anything," he mocks. 

"Trust me, if I step on your feet chances are it's intentional," Steve replies with a snarky grin, fingers squeezing Bucky's own as he begins to move to the music. 

After a while the steps start coming easier and they move more fluidly with every beat of the song, until Steve starts to enjoy the dancing almost as much as he does Bucky's company. It's nice, Bucky humming along to the slow tune as Steve holds him close and leads him all over the empty bar. He can feel Bucky's steady heart beat over his, and the smile on Steve's mouth is totally unconscious. 

He looks at Bucky and sees the beautiful, playful smile on his red lips and Steve thinks even if he died tomorrow, he'd die happy with a memory of having Bucky in his arms like this one last time.


End file.
